WEBVTT FIRST TONIGHT... WYFF NEWS FOUR INVESTIGATES... ISSUES WITH PROTERRA BUSES.. MADE IN GREENVILLE. THE CITY OF SENECA ORDERED FOUR OF THE COMPANY'S ELECTRIC BUSES.... COSTING TAXPAYERS A WHOPPING FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. BUT WYFF NEWS FOUR INVESTIGATES FOUND OUT... GETTING THOSE BUSES TO WORK.. HASN'T BEEN EASY FOR SENECA. TIM WALLER GOT HIS HANDS ON THE BUSES' SERVICE RECORDS. GABBY, ALL FOUR BUSES HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO THE FACTORY FOR REPAIRS. SERVICE RECORDS SHOW THAT FROM THE TIME THESE BUSES WERE DELIVERED.. THERE HAVE BEEN ISSUES, RANGING FROM FAULTY WINDOWS.. TO CHARGING STATIONS THAT WON'T CHARGE. THE CITY HAD HOPED TO LAUNCH SERVICE AROUND THE FIRST OF JANUARY.... AND BECOME THE FIRST CITY IN THE COUNTRY WITH AN ALL-ELECTRIC BUS FLEET. NOW, IT COULD BE LATER THIS YEAR.. BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. IT WAS A SOURCE OF GREAT PRIDE WHEN SENECA ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BECOME THE FIRST CITY IN AMERICA WITH AN ALL-ELECTRIC BUS FLEET. "We will eliminate our diesel fuel costs and eliminate our carbon footprint." AND THESE WEREN'T JUST ANY BUSES. THEY WERE PROTERRA BUSES.. MANUFACTURED IN GREENVILLE.. JUST UP THE ROAD. BUT JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF THE BUSES AND CHARGING STATIONS.. WORTH 5-POINT-4 MILLION DOLLARS.. THERE IS STILL NO ELECTRIC BUS SERVICE IN SENECA.. AND NO GOOD GUESS ON WHEN IT MIGHT START. Tim: "Now you're talking maybe sometime later this year?" "That's about as specific as I could get at this point." WYFF NEWS 4 INVESTIGATES HAS FOUND.. SINCE DECEMBER, WHEN THE BUSES BEGAN THEIR TEST ROUTES.. THERE HAVE BEEN A HOST OF PROBLEMS.. SUCH AS A CRACKED WINDSHIELD FROM A FAULTY DEFROSTER.. A BUS SWITCHING FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WHILE THE BUS WAS IN MOTION.. AND A HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY TORN FROM THE BUS BY THE WIND.. BECAUSE THE ASSEMBLY WASN'T PROPERLY FASTENED. "It hadn't been secured. In fact, no one had known that they needed to secure these headlight housings." "Another problem occurred along busy Highway 123 during testing. The driver's side window on one of the buses fell out and shattered on the highway...to everyone's surprise." WHEN THAT HAPPENED.. A THIRD-PARTY INSPECTOR WAS BROUGHT IN TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE DISCOVERED THE WINDOW HAD BEEN INSTALLED WITH A SEAL THAT WASN'T STANDARD IN PROTERRA BUSES. AND THERE WERE OTHER ANOMALIES.. SUCH AS WIRING HARNESSES THAT DIFFERED FROM BUS TO BUS. AT THAT POINT, OFFICIALS DECIDED TO SEND ALL FOUR BUSES BACK TO PROTERRA'S FACTORY FOR INSPECTION. Tim: "Why did you do that?" "From our standpoint, the thought is, if any one of those buses needs to be corrected, then the other three buses need to be looked at." IT WAS AROUND THAT TIME, PLANNING DIRECTOR ED HALBIG FIRED OFF A LETTER TO PROTERRA.. EXPLAINING THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEMS. "THE BUSES CONTINUE TO HAVE SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS," HE WROTE. " NEED COMPLETE CONFIDENCE THEY CAN OPERATE CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT INTERRUPTION".AND "PROTERRA AS BUS MANUFACTURER MUST UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT." WYFF NEWS 4 INVESTIGATES REQUESTED AN INTERVIEW WITH PROTERRA REGARDING THESE ISSUES. BUT WE WERE TOLD THE CEO AND SEVERAL TOP EXECUTIVES WERE OUT OF THE OFFICE. THOUGH THEY DID ISSUE A STATEMENT. "WE RECOGNIZE THERE HAS BEEN SOME PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT THE DELAY IN GETTING BUSES INTO SERVICE IN SENECA. ANY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES CAREFUL VETTING.AND A DEGREE OF ISSUE RESOLUTION." Tim: "At this point, are you guys feeling frustrated?" "I don't think so." HALBIG ONLY HAS GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT PROTERRA. DESPITE ISSUES WITH THEIR BATTERY-POWERED BUSES. Tim: "sounds like you've been very patient with the whole process." "We have because it's not going to be to anyone's benefit to rush something like this." HIS BIGGEST WORRY IS THAT EXCITEMENT OVER SENECA'S ALL-ELECTRIC BUS SERVICE WILL BEGIN TO FADE.. BEFORE IT EVEN GETS STARTED. AND NO ONE'S SURE WHEN THAT WILL BE. Tim: "What would you tell another city that's on the verge of ordering these Proterra buses as to what they might encounter?" "Patience. Be patient." PATIENCE.. AND THE HOPE THAT THESE BUSES WILL BE WORTH THE LONGER-THAN-EXPECTED WAIT. HALBIG SAYS THE CITY OF SENECA WANTS TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF TAXPAYERS MONEY. THEY HAVE JUST BEEN APPROVED FOR ANOTHER 1- POINT-8 MILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL GRANTS.. TO BUILD BUS STOPS.. AND TO PURCHASE A FIFTH PROTERRA BUS. BUT HE SAYS THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ORDER THAT FIFTH BUS.. UNTIL THEY MAKE SURE THE FIRST FOUR.. DELIVER AS PROMISED. WE WILL STAY ON TOP OF THIS STORY.. AND BRING YOU UPDATES.